Electrical connector



March 13, 1951 J. c. MACY 2,545,429

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Nov. 27, 1945 4 sheetsQ-'heet 1 e4 4a 46 3gze 36 ,f1/

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March 13, 1951 1 C, MACY 2,545,429

ELECTRICAL CNNECTOR Filed Nov. 27, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I BY vom@ favs?March 13, 1951 L Q MACY 2,545,429

ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR Filed Nov. 2'7, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 2@ u u WWW@ Ud l l /v full ifa March 13, 1951 1c. MACY 2,545,429

ELECTRICAL. CONNECTOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed NOV. 27. 1945 "TQM Tlcl Z4@40e 22e Eni@ INVENTOR Jam-5 C MCX Patented Mar. 13, 1951 UNITED STATES"PATENT OFFICE James C. Macy, New Cumberland, Pa., assgnor toAircraft-Marine Products Inc., Harrisburg, Pa., a corporation of NewJersey Application November 2i, 1945, Serial No. 631,031

6 Claims. (Cl.'173-328) This invention relates to multiple connectors,l

particularly to multiple connectors of the knifedisconnect type. VIt isa 'continuation-impart of my application Serial No. 558,326, filedOctober 1'2, 1944.

As more fully disclosed` in the copending apk lthe clips and blades "soformed that when two such terminals are brought together at right angleswiththeir blade portions face to lface `and are then swung intoalignment, each blade makes a wiping pressure contact between the clipand vthe blade of the other terminal,l while its clip,

engaging the clip of the other terminal, holdsV `multiple connectorwhich is economical of weight, material and space. The invention furtheraims to provide a multiple connectorkfor use with conductors havingterminal connectors of the knife-disconnect t'y-pe which has its variouscounterpart connectors so arranged that when the various wires, or othermembers carrying the counterpart connectors, are engaged with themultiple connector, the entire assembly maybe locked againstdisengagement by a cover which may serve not only to' insulate 'and lockthe connectionsfbut also to protect them against physical injury.Anadditional object resides in providing a multiple connector whichreadily may be combined with other similar multiple connectors to buildup a range of sizes of connector units.

Other objects of the invention, to which reference has'not beenspecically' 'made herein- Although in this specification and theaccompanying drawings I am showing and. describing a particular Aexampleand various modiiications thereof, it should be understood that theseare not intended to be exhaustive 'nor limiting 'of the invention, buton the contrary are chosen and vpresented for purposes of illustrationand in order to explain the principles of the invention and thepractical` employment of those principles in applying the invention topractical use. and thus so fully to instruct others skilled in this artthat they will be enabled readily 'to Y modify and to select andsubstitute alternatives,

'each as may be best suited to the particular conditions of any givenapplication or use.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a multiple l connector vembodying vtheinvention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken longitudinally through the assembly of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional View taken along .the line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a perspectiveview of a Vspacer' block which forms a partofthe assembly lof Figures 1 'and 2;

Figure 5 is a sectional view through the block of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of a modied type of multiple connector;

Figure '7 is a sectional view taken along the line 1-1 of Figure 6; y

Figure 8 is a sectional View taken along the line 8-8 of Figure';

Figure 9 .is a plan view of a portion of a block similar to thatshown inFigure 6 but fitted with various modified connectors;

Figure 10 is a sectional view taken along the line IU-lll of Figure '9;

Figure 11 is a perspective View of three connectors of the type shown inFigure 6 Stacked one on top of another; l

vFigure 12 is a sectional view taken along the line l2-I2 of Figure 11;

Figure 13 is a perspective View of` a further modication oftheinvention;

Figure 14, is a plan view with parts broken 'away ofY the multipleconnector of Figure v13;

Figure 15 is a sectional elevation taken along the broken line Iii-I5 ofFigure 14; l

Figure 16 is a sectional view taken along the line |6--I6 of Figure-14;

dicated by the numeral consisting of a spacer block 22 (see also Figure4) and a pair of covers 24 and 26 (see also Figure 2). The connector aS-sembly is shown interconnecting a plurality of electrical conductorwiresfW. Each wire W is provided with an electrical connector 28.vconnector 28 is of the knife-disconnect type previously referred to andincludes a ferrule portion 30, a`contact portion 32 having a blade 34,and a clip 36. Spacer block 22 is provided in the present embodiment`with a series of radially arranged slots 38. An electricalinterconnector blade 40 is positioned in each slot 38. Each blade 40includes on each side of block 22 a shank 42 and a clip 44. As shown inFigures 2 and5, each blade 42 is provided with a pair of spaced nubs 46which prevent longitudinal movementof the blade in its slot 38. Eachcontact portion ,32 includes an offset 48 in its blade 34.V This oisetcopending application Serial No. 530,317 abovementioned. Y

Each

l serves the dual purpose of promoting a solid en- The connector 28 canbe disengagedfrom inter-v connector blade only when moved to therelationship illustrated in Figure 5, where the axis of connector 28 issubstantially at right angles with respect tothe axis of blade 4U.lationship shown in Figure 2, the connectors and interconnectors cannotbe the wires W cannot become disengaged and the separated. Thus, Whilecovers 24 and 26V remain iitted to block 22,

In the re-.f-

circuits therethrough must accordingly remainfgj,

positively established. 1

It will be seen in the present embodiment that the invention is in partan improvement upon the invention of Harry B. White, Patent No.2,383,926,

` and Stephen N. Buchanan, Patent No. 2,383,909.

When the covers are backed away from block 22 to the positions shown indotted lines in Figure 2 the various wires are unlocked and any or allmay be disconnected or rearranged at will. And the connector block maybe mounted in any sort of panel and thus serve to facilitate making andkeeping connections between one side of the panel and the other. It willbe appreciated that, where air pressure differentials must be maintainedbetween the respective sides of the panel upon which the connector blockis mounted, the various interconnector blades Ml'may advantageously bemolded directly in block 22,V as is disclosed more fully hereinafter inconnection with the description of Figures 17-20, thus eliminating slots38 and presenting an imperforate surface across both faces of the block.Alternatively the slots may be sealed after assembly.

In Figures 6 through 8 the invention is shown tangular spacer block 22ainstead oi Ithe paneltween the two connectors is impossible.

type block 22 of the previous embodiment. In this form the connectorassembly has utility as an ordinary tie point or terminal block where,for the sake of convenience, the connectors of certain related circuitsare grouped. In the present embodiment no interconnector blade nor thirdpart, such as the previous blade 40, is required for the reason thateach of the wires Wa is provided with a modied form of terminal. Eachterminal has a ferrule portion 36a and an elongated contact portion 32alincluding a blade 34a and clip 36a.

l.The contact portion 320iv extends between nub 46a and offset 48a andcorresponds in length to the width of the rectangular block 22a so thatit fits nicelyintorslot 38a in the block. Cover 24a locks the variouscontact portions 32a in position in slots 38asothat wires Wa cannot beseparated from the connector block except when cover 24a is removed. Theblades 34a and clips 36a. remain exposed in this form. Wires Wb carryterminals having ferrule portions 30h, blades 34h and clips 35h whichmay readily be connected to or disconnected from the corresponding partsof the iixed electrical connectors. l.

Block 22a isprovided at each end with a shouldered hole 501 having athreaded portion 52 for vreception of a screw post 54. A machine screw5'6 is threaded into post 54 to hold cover 24a securely upon .block 22a.This .cover securing means'has particular-utility in connection with.the embodiment shown in Figures 11 and V12.Y

Figure 9 shows a spacer block I22a on the left hand side of.Which'appear electrical conductors Wal, Wa2 and Wa3.` Conductor Wal issubstantially identical with conductors Wa of Figure 6. It is providedwith a ferrule portion 133e, a blade -I34a, a nub [46a and an offsetI48a. Nub 146:1 and oiTset I48a are spaced apart by an amount equal tothe width of block |22a so that the con- .nector cannot move'lengthwisein its slot. Nub

Vl 46a is held tightly in engagement with face 246e of the block andshoulder i48a is held tightly in engagement with face 245a of the block.WhenA a connection is made the clips I36a and 3612 are tightly jammedbetwen nub 146e and an o iset 48h so that lengthwise relative movementbe- 'I'hus a good electrical contactV results. Conductor Wa2 is providedwith a connector having an offset 248a but it does not include a nubcorresponding to the nub I46a.A Figure 10 illustrates the manner inwhichthe curved forward edge of` clip 36h, when the clip is engaged withthe clip of blade 234a, provides acamming action against block face 246ato lock blade 234g, in its slot within block i22a and to jam theinterfitting clips into good conducting relationship so that a tightmechanical connection exists all the way between shoulders 48h and2481). Conductor Wa3 and its connector are similar to conductor Wa2 andits connector except for the provision of a nub 345a which interfitswithin a molded recess in slot 238:1 so that relative movement ofl theblade of the connector within slot 238a-is not possible'even when Ynoblade 34h and clip 36h are interfitted with the connector. There isadvantage, as pointed out in my earlier application Serial No. 530,317,in having a shoulder or nub, such as nubs 46a, 146o, etc., against whichthe curved forward a connector is made to cam against the face of aspacer block instead of yagainst a nub.

In VFigures l1Y and 12 a series of spacer blocks consisting of oneblock- 22a andtwo blocksl 22o and `a cover 24a are shown` securedtoget`her. 'The screw post 54, shownin Figure 7, is replaced by anextension screw post 58 (see Figure l2). Thus, withVappropriate#extension screw posts, any number of spacer -blocksmay bestacked and secured one on top of-another simply by drilling outshoulder holes VSllto -give the cylindrical configuration indicated at59h- The distance between adjacent slots Va'shculd preferably 'be thesame for each two adjacent pairs of slots so that the slots are equallyspaced across the block. The distance between an end slot and theadjacent end of the block preferably should be different at oppositeends of the block so that when one block is placed on top of anotherblock and turned end for end, the slots of the upper block will not bedirectly over the slots of the block immediately below. Thus the variousrows of electrical connectors are staggered with respect to one anotherso that the connections and disconnections may more easily be madewithout disturbing adjacent wires. l Y

The embodiment of Figures 13-16 differs from that of Figures 6-9 in thatblock 22ey is approximately twice as wide as block 22a and is tted witha pair of covers 24C and 26o so that the entire connector portions ofwires Wc and Wd are fully covered. Thus wires Wc may be disconnectedfrom the multiple connector assembly only when cover 24o is removed.AWires Wd may be removed from the assembly only when both covers 24e and26o are removed. A plurality of spacer` blocks may be stacked one on topof another as described in connection with the embodiment of Figures 11and 12 (see Figure 16) although it will be appreciated that the stackmust be partly separated when connections through any but the top blockof the stack are to be altered. Corresponding parts are identified bymeans of corresponding reference numerals eX- cept for the change inreference letters sufiixed.

Figures 17-21 illustrate a further embodiment similar in many respectsto that of Figures 1-5. Again similar reference characters are used forsimilar parts with the exception of different reference-letter suffixes.Spacer block 22e cornprises a slotted disc Si! and a retaining flange 62lcore6'6. The-assembled-covers 24e are similarly retained upon core t4.When itis desired to connect or disconnect awire We, the-appropriatecover 24e or 26e is removed by first removing spring clips lusothat-'the two vhalf covers may be separatedV and removed thus' givingaccess to connector portions of interconnector blade 40e. The embodimentof Figures 1 7- 20 has advantage over that of Figures 1-5 in that thecovers do not have to be backedoffalong the wires but instead may bedirectly removed, thus rendering the connector more suitable for use incramped spaces rand where the several wires spread out in variousdirections.

From the foregoing it will be seen that multiple connectors made inaccordance with the present invention are welly adapted to attain theends and objects hereinbefore set forth and to be economicallymanufactured since the combinations are suited to common productionmethods and are susceptible to a wide latitude of variations as may bedesirable in adapting the invention to different applications.

vAs various additional embodiments may be made of the above inventionand as changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it isto be understood that all matter hereinbefore set forth or shown in theaccompanying drawings is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in alimiting sense.

` I claim:4

l. A multiple connector comprising a plurality of connector bladesarranged in closely spaced relationship along parallel axes and eachhaving a counterpart engaging clip near one end eX- tending from oneedge portion of the blade, and block means supporting said blades insaid spaced relationship; said block means comprising intermediateslotted portions in each slot of which an intermediate portion of ablade is disposed, said block means further comprising marginal portionsprovided with recesses, each recess being associated in communicationwitha slot of said slotted portions, and each recess presenting asurface in closely spaced juxtaposition with respect to said one edgeportion of the blade disposed in the slot associated with such recess.

2. In apparatus of the character described, block means of insulatingmaterial, and electrical connector means fitted within saidblock means Yand projecting outwardly therefrom; said contightly tting therearound sothat flange e2 serves to lock the interconnector blades 40e (see Figure21) in radial slots 38e of disc 60. n ad dition a pair of cores 64 and55 (see Figure 18) are permanently clamped together upon disc 6i] bymeans of a rivet 68, Thus disc 6l), cores E4 and 65, and rivet 68 ineffect form an integral spacer block unit, and when blades 40e arefitted within slots 38e, retaining flange S2' may be frictionally forcedupon the blade-carrying disc to form a solid assembly of disc, bladesand cores. Such an assembly can be made to present a substantiallyimperforate barrier where pressure differentials are to exist onopposite faces of the connector unit. As shown in Figures 19 and 20,each of the covers 2te extends through 180, instead of cylindrically asin the form of Figures 1 5, and the two covers 25e are clamped togetherby a pair of spring clips Ill (see Figure 19) which fasten upon flangesl2 and '53. The assembled covers 26e are prevented from slipping off ofcore 6E by means of a pair of annular ridges 'I4 and 16 (see Figure 18)which interfit with a pair of nector means being of the knife-disconnecttype and having a blade with a clip near the outer end thereof, saidmeans including a counterpart-clip- Y abutment portion spaced inwardlyfrom said clip by an amount substantially equal to the width of saidclip, whereby a counterpart knife-disconnect connector may be engagedwith said connector means with the forward edge of the clip of thecounterpart connector camming against said abutment portion to jam thetwo clips into solid, highly conductive electrical engagement,

and said block means including removable walldefming means in spacedjuxtaposition with respect to said connector blade means, the spacingbetween said wall-defining means and said blade means being less thanthe amount of clearance necessary to accomplish a knife-disconnectmovement of a counterpart connector.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said abutmentportion is formed by apart of said connector means.

4. The invention of claim 2 wherein said electrical connector means isattached at a region remote from said clip to an electrical conductor.

5. The invention of claim 2 wherein said elec- .trcal connector meansincludes a plurality of projecting blades each provided with a clip.

6. The invention of claim 2 wherein said elecv trcal connector meansremovably fits into a slot- 5 like passageway within said block means.

JAMES C. MACY.

v REFERENCES CITED Y The following references are of recordv in the' 10Number Name I v Y Date Upson et a1. Feb. 9, 1909 Menningen July 21, 1914Small Aug. 10, 1915 Burton Nov. 9, 1915 Heath May 8, 1917 Ide Nov. 11,1924 Goelz Oct. 30, 1928 Goelz Dec. 1, 1931 Smith Nov. 19, 1935 Terrill,Jr Feb. 23, 1937 Donaldson Apr. 18, 1944 Macy Feb. 25, 1947

